Administrator Access Disabled?

Question

I just purchased a Windows 11 pc and set it up yesterday. I ran netplwiz yesterday to disable the need for a password at start-up as this is a family computer and we all just need one sign-in. At start-up this morning I now have two accounts to choose from, both mine attached to the same email address. However, one account only recognizes the user as my first name (upon start-up I get an error message that the username and password don't match; I then have to change the username to just my name in order to log in). I'm now trying to run netplwiz again as I only want one account and it asks "Do you want this app to allow changes to your device?" There is no "YES" button and it wants me to enter and admin username and password (without allowing me to actually do this). How can I get back to the Admin account to fix my double account issue? There is no Admin option on the start-up log in page.

Edit: I can't change any setting on the computer without the Admin setting. Just tried to change a OneDrive setting and I got the same as above.

Answer 1

Hi Scott,

Try starting Windows in Safe mode and logging in as "Administrator" (the built-in admin account).

• Start your PC in safe mode in Windows - Microsoft Support

Once logged in as the built-in administrator, change your user account to an "administrator" account by running this command:

• net localgroup administrators {username} /add

Example:

• net localgroup administrators Scott /add

Once done, restart Windows in Normal mode.

See also:

• How to Regain Lost Admin Rights in Windows 10 or 11

Answer 2

This worked perfectly - thanks for your help and quick reply!